Qantas positioning flights

4 replies

reno

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 20 Sep 2013

Total posts 317

I am aware that QF has a number of positioning flights on any given day usually with a 4 digit QF flight numbers starting with the number 6.As i understand these flights have 2 pilots/no passengers and transition the aircraft eg BNE/MEL to SYD and vise versa. While i understand all airlines do line maintenance at different ports along with unscheduled tec problems. Why do they not market and sell seats on these flights,in particular line maintenance that is scheduled mouths in advance.Early last week I spoke to 2 pilots at the BNE Int terminal they were piloting the inbound QF52 on the dom sector BNE-SYD,no pax. Why not get revenue,a 4 engine jet in this case and the captain said he had bid on the sector six weeks prior.

chrisjrn

Member since 09 May 2011

Total posts 177

Often it's because the (necessary) timing of the flights would make the flights unpopular.

Or because they need a completely different crew after the plane operates a long-haul flight from (e.g.) the USA...

VV

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 07 Jul 2013

Total posts 3

Probably due to crewing issues.

watson374

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 17 Aug 2012

Total posts 1,285

Crewing issues, loading issues, timing issues, capacity issues...

Phil Young

Qantas

Member since 22 Oct 2012

Total posts 259

I've also often wondered about this, but other issues may be that some of these flights are done at fairly short notice, and to seek paying customers means putting it into a schedule at least several days ahead so that pax can book tickets, and then they'd have to schedule flight attendants.  Perhaps scheduled flights at that time are under capacity anyway, so there's no point in trying to sell extra seats.  It may be that the gates at one of the airports are all booked, meaning that they couldn't load or disembark any pax.  And some flights are not to or from a passenger airport, but from a maintenance airport such as Avalon VIC. 

And I wonder if any of these planes that are repositioned between regular airports are in need of maintenance and not fit for passenger flights.

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